New Guinea savannas and grasslands

Grasslands, towards the end of the dry season. The area is covered by water in the wet season, but by early November just a few small areas of water remained. Western Province, Papua New Guinea. December 2004.

Savannas, shaped by climate and humans

Strangely reminiscent of the landscapes of northern Australia, New Guinea’s savannas and grasslands are spread along the island’s southern coast.

Open savanna thrives in conditions that other ecosystems wouldn’t be able to withstand for very long. Here, there is no more than 2,600mm of rainfall a year. In the dry season, it gets worse. Precipitation drops to less than 100mm per month.

Two factors account for the unusually dry aspect of New Guinea’s savannas: the climate and humans. In this part of the island, people have been burning the land for thousands of years, mostly for hunting purposes.

Malaleuca savanna, which is flooded some parts of the year. Cajuputi (Melaleuca cajuputi), tea tree or paper bark (M. leucadendron) and niaouli (M. viridiflora) often dominate this kind of savanna. These species are tough, withstanding burning, inundation and periodic drought. The ground is layered with reeds (Phragmites species).

Several reptiles and amphibians found nowhere else in the world, including the Fly River turtle or pig-nose turtle (Carettochelys insculpta), have chosen this place as their home. Other local species include the threatened little paradise-kingfisher (Tanysiptera hydrocharis), the Fly River grassbird (Megalurus albolimbatus) and 2 species of munias.2